


Crash Course

by SigiMario



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Car Accidents, Explicit Language, Gen, Graphic Description, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:13:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25575619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SigiMario/pseuds/SigiMario
Summary: She didn’t hear the gross, horrible sound of bones realigning and scraping back into place over her own wails of pain, nor did she hear the gasp of breath that came back to the teen. She did, however, hear the pained groan that erupted from the boy. She hesitated, but removed her hands from her face and her mouth dropped in shock.“Well,” Danny grunted as he sat upright, “that was… less than ideal.”His eyes weren’t the usual blue she had grown accustomed to, they were instead a toxic green that was usually reserved for the ghosts and the energy blasts they flung around the city. The too-green eyes of Danny Fenton landed on her. He only seemed mildly surprised that he had been hit by a car.
Comments: 193
Kudos: 646





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was really fun to write. It was originally going to be a oneshot, but it kinda got away from me and I want to do more with it. I have ideas for future chapters, so if you guys want more, let me know! I'll probably get it out faster if you tell me you actually want more.

She didn’t see him. 

He should have been paying attention.

It wasn’t her fault.

The teen was sprawled out on the concrete before her, face down. His arms were twisted and mangled beyond repair and his legs bent out at unnatural angles. His blood pooled around him and just _didn’t stop flowing_. Star had killed him. Star had just _killed_ Danny Fenton. 

Star had been driving home from Paulina’s mansion, her cheeks stained with drying tears, only for more droplets of water to fall down every few seconds. They had gotten into a fight. Something about Phantom, probably, given that Paulina only obsessed over him anymore, never wanting to talk about anything _normal_. 

Paulina began to yell, Star had taken it. That’s just how it worked lately. Paulina berated the blonde over something she couldn’t remember, but it had hurt at the time. So she left, despite the late hour. It was 2 AM, maybe 3. Star had lost track of time, given what had occurred. 

She was driving home while crying. The roads were deserted and empty, not a single soul (human _or_ ghost) was out at the time. Except for the one person she hit. Except for Danny Fenton. 

He had been hobbling down the road, lower to the ground than he usually slouched. Between his low stance and Star’s impaired vision, it’s no surprise that she didn’t see him until it was too late.

If she was crying before, Star was _sobbing_ now, her throat giving out half-choked gasps and sputters that died mere inches from her lips. She collapsed to the ground, only a few feet away from the body. She shoved the heels of her palms into her eyes, trying to scrub out the image of Fenton. 

She didn’t hear the gross, horrible sound of bones realigning and scraping back into place over her own wails of pain, nor did she hear the gasp of breath that came back to the teen. She did, however, hear the pained groan that erupted from the boy. She hesitated, but removed her hands from her face and her mouth dropped in shock. 

“Well,” Danny grunted as he sat upright, “that was… less than ideal.”

His eyes weren’t the usual blue she had grown accustomed to, they were instead a toxic green that was usually reserved for the ghosts and the energy blasts they flung around the city. The too-green eyes of Danny Fenton landed on her. He only seemed mildly surprised that he had been _hit by a car_ , and turned to assess the damage rather than addressing his would-be murderer.

The front of her car was still intact, if a bit dented. Her front bumper had warped inward and her grill had the faint imprint of Danny’s silhouette. 

“Sorry.”

Star whipped her head back towards the boy, all words escaping her momentarily.

“For the, uh, damage,” he continued. He picked himself off the floor and pressed his arms against his back, releasing a small set of cracks which made Star want to throw up.

“H-how?” she managed. His eyes began to dim, returning to the more naturally vibrant blue she had seen for the last four years of high school. He extended his hand out to help her off the ground.

“It’s a long story.” Suddenly, his face broke out into a look of concern. “Are you, um, okay?”

“I- What?”

“You were just in a car accident.”

Star’s mind finally processed the fact that she _didn’t_ kill Danny Fenton, after all. Now it was trying to grasp the concept of _how_ she didn’t kill Danny Fenton. “You _were_ the car accident,” she whispered.

“I’m fine, I swear.” If she ignored the bloodied and gravel-torn clothing he had on, Star could almost believe him. “I get a lot closer to death than normal people should. But, uh, are you gonna get up from the ground?”

Star realized he was still extending his hand down to help her up. 

“I mean, Amity Park streets seem comfy and all, but...” Danny trailed off. Before he could finish, Star took his hand. He hoisted her up from the road and gave her a once over. “You seem alright. You didn’t, like, hit your head or anything, right?”

“No.” The adrenaline rush had ended, leaving Star winded and drained. She felt herself tremble, barely able to support her weight. Her knees buckled under her and she was fast approaching the ground again when Danny practically swept her off her feet and carried her to her car. 

He set her down in the passenger seat and shut the door. Danny disappeared under the hood for a brief moment and Star heard metal shrieking and moaning. He popped his head up with a goofy smile and gave Star a thumbs up. He then walked around to the driver’s seat and slid into place. “Where to?”

Star was about to protest, but stopped when she saw the look on his face. She cleared her throat and began directing him towards her house. He nodded and followed her orders. 

They rode in silence for a few moments. Star took a side glance at Danny, and he seemed… more mature, somehow. Like he wasn’t an eighteen year old senior at Casper High. His eyes seemed years, if not decades older. He also looked exhausted, even for someone who had just been hit by a car. 

“Left here,” Star would mumble. 

“Gotcha,” He’d nod. 

“Right,” she would say, earning a hum in response. 

His stops were a little harsh and he sped down the streets like his father, but they arrived at Star’s house without hitting anyone. That’s more than Star could say right now. 

He parked in the spot she designated and gave her a half smile. “Not bad for someone who never took his driving test, huh?”

“You never took your driving test?”

“Er, forget I said that,” he grinned sheepishly. And for the first time that night, Star grinned back. As quick as it came, though, it left. She needed clarification.

“How are you not _dead_?” She finally managed to ask. She was still reeling from that fact, even if her eyes were threatening to shut themselves from emotional exhaustion. He brought his hand to his neck, a telltale sign of his nervousness and anxiety, and made a little noise in his throat. 

“It’s complicated.” 

Before she could get him to elaborate, a light turned on inside Star’s house and she realized what it would look like if _Danny Fenton_ was in her car at three in the morning. She heard a click and when she turned to look back at Danny, the driver’s side door was wide open.

And Fenton was just _gone_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this chapter really wrote itself. I wasn't expecting to update so soon, but, I guess here you go. I actually wrote the majority of this only a few hours after posting the first chapter. Do keep in mind I have very little control over my writing, so don't count on many rapid updates, but do comment or whatever if you want more! That definitely helps.

The sun beamed through the curtains, landing on Star’s face. If Star wasn’t traumatized, exhausted, and upset, she’d say it was a beautiful morning, but she was all of those things, so it wasn’t.

The sun was hot and irritating on her skin, light burning through her tightly shut eyelids. 

Star woke up moments before her alarm went off, the worst feeling in the world. The device buzzed and beeped and screamed at her, so she was forced to get up and turn it off. She caught a glance of herself in her vanity mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot and red and her hair was all frizzy and bedridden. 

She had the worst nightmare last night, she had killed Danny Fenton, but it felt so realistic. She had gotten a few hours of sleep, but her dream was so vivid that she felt like she was really there. And that meant she felt like she was _actually_ in a car wreck last night. She rubbed her neck where it was most sore. Dream-whiplash was no joke. He looked at the underside of her arm in the mirror and was shocked to see broken and scabbed skin. 

From when she threw herself onto the ground last night. 

But, that made no sense. There’s no way that was real.

...right?

* * *

There wasn’t a dent in her car anymore, if there had ever been one, but it didn’t look factory new. 

If anything, it looked like it had been repaired.

* * *

“Star, I just wanted to say I’m _so_ sorry about yesterday!”

“What?” Star asked. Momentarily, she struggled to remember what her supposed best friend was talking about, but then it hit her. She had forgotten all about their argument after all the action she had been a part of after she left. 

But was she part of any action? She glanced down the hall to see Fenton and his nerd friends all talking amongst themselves excitedly. Nothing indicated that Danny had almost died a few short hours ago. They all seemed as playful, goofy, and lighthearted as always, despite their more athletic build. 

Danny had actually sprouted up several feet over the four years he attended Casper High. He wasn’t the only one. Foley and even Manson were also taller and more muscularly built, though Danny was still the king. He had inherited his father’s height, but kept his mom’s more lithe figure. His shoulders were broad, but not overbearingly so. He did keep some attributes, however. His skin was still the borderline sickly pale color it had always been and his black hair was still incredibly shaggy. Star almost couldn’t see the soft blue eyes she’d grown accustomed to. 

She also didn’t see the radioactive green from last night. 

“I said I’m sorry,” the Latina scoffed. 

Star quickly turned to face Paulina again. Right, she had been apologizing. Or, rather, pretending to. “Right, yeah, it’s whatever,” Star replied. 

Apparently that had been an acceptable answer, because Paulina snapped back into her usual self-absorbed personality and focused on something that mattered to her, leaving Star free to think. 

The bell rang and the halls erupted with movement, so Star lost track of Danny on their way to first period. Luckily, Star knew she had two classes with him in it. First period was Lancer’s english class for seniors, and she also had fifth period gym with Danny as well. 

She followed Paulina into the classroom and sat in her usual seat in the front row, but made a sudden decision to pack up her stuff and move. 

“And then Dash and I were going to go to the pier, but- Star?” Paulina asked. She had been talking about something, but was caught off guard by Star changing seats. 

“I, uh, don’t wanna be in the front today.” Star walked to the back of the classroom and sat down in a desk that would give her a good view of Danny while still being inconspicuous. She didn’t even know why she cared so much, but something was itching at the back of her brain. Paulina sighed dramatically and followed her to the back of the class, not letting herself look like she was just abandoned by her friend. 

Almost immediately, Paulina continued her story about her date and left Star to her thoughts again. The door swung open unceremoniously and Dash and Kwan walked in. They were cracking jokes and laughing as they always did, but their faces twisted up in confusion when they noticed Paulina and Star’s absence in the front row. 

They looked towards the back of the room and Dash opened his mouth. “Uh, what gives?”

Kwan shrugged and walked to sit next to Star, not too bothered by the change. “It’s not a big deal, man, just sit over here.” 

“But _this_ is our spot,” Dash whined childishly. He relented when Paulina shot him a glare. 

One by one, students filed into the classroom. It was mostly uneventful, save for Nathan and his friends getting a little uncomfortable when they noticed their already occupied desks. 

Finally, Mr. Lancer walked into the room and greeted the class. The students gave a lukewarm response, but he seemed glad to have gotten any response at all. 

He opened his mouth to speak when Danny burst into the room, his chest heaving. 

“I’m so sorry Mr. Lancer, I’m here, please don’t mark me tardy,” he spat out rapidly. In two long strides he had crossed to the middle of the room and sat in his usual desk. 

“Mr. Fenton, can you tell me the definition of irony?” 

“Uh, kinda?” Danny eloquently said. “It’s like when something contradicts itself but still works?”

“Close enough, Mr. Fenton. I only ask because I noticed I could set my _watch_ to your tardiness. Thirty seconds after I greet the class, _every_ morning,” Lancer said straight-faced. 

“Ouch, yeah, that’s fair,” Danny laughed. “Your words hurt, but kudos to the joke, sir.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Fenton, but I _won’t_ mark you tardy. It would be in vain to ask you to not let it happen again, so I won’t waste my breath.” With that, Lancer turned to the white board and began to write. “I have to draw a diagram, so feel free to talk amongst yourselves for a few moments, children.” 

The class quickly returned to their conversations and Star to her speculation. Danny had contorted his body so he could face Manson and Foley in spite of the forward-facing desk. They chattered in subdued voices and kept their eyes sharp for any prying ears. Star quickly looked at the blank notebook page and strained to listen to what they were saying. 

She heard Manson whisper something towards Danny harshly, berating him for… _something_ , and slapping his shoulder.

“Star, are you okay?” 

Star jumped and glanced towards Kwan. She had forgotten all about her friends. She nodded, “Yeah, just thinking about something.” 

“What’s up?” Dash asked. He looked legitimately interested, which would shock people not on good terms with the jock. 

“She’s probably upset about the fight we had last night,” Paulina sweetly sneered. “I already apologized, so there’s really nothing I can do about that.” 

“I’m _fine_ , you guys,” Star ground out. She really was, just insanely curious about the enigma that was Danny Fenton. “Quit worrying about me.”

Kwan looked a little put out by her dismissiveness. “Sorry,” he mumbled. They might not be dating anymore, but Kwan was just a really caring dude who loved his friends. 

Star sighed, “No, no I’m sorry. Thanks for asking, you guys. I’m just thinking.”

“About what?” Dash asked. “Is it, like, girl stuff, or?” 

“No, I’ll let you guys know when I can understand it better.”

“That’s code for ‘I’m in over my head’, I think,” Kwan prodded. Dash laughed, high-fiving his friend. 

“More like, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing’!”

Star wasn’t even sure they were wrong anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry. Here's chapter three, I just forget that I actually have a semi-interested audience now. Normally I write whenever I want to, but I'll try to be better. Thanks for reading :)
> 
> Also, I have NO knowledge of photography or image editing, so if I sound like a dumbass, that's why haha. Just give me a bit of leniency, yeah?

The rest of Lancer’s class went by normally. He talked about some old book, Danny ran to the bathroom and didn’t come back. Normal stuff. It wasn’t until Star’s photography class that the day got more interesting. 

Her photography teacher was lecturing about the more fun aspects of digital editing. Filters and contrast differentials and the like. Since it was the introduction to the unit, he was giving a free period to play around with the program on the computers he provided. 

Star opened the folder with all the yearbook photos in it. Students in the photography class had access to this folder so they could practice their editing techniques on a professionally shot picture. What usually ended up happening was people would find their own photos and subtly make them look better and replace the school’s copy of the file or, more often, would find photos of students they disliked and edited them to be… less than flattering. 

She opened the folder for her class and then the folder for her homeroom, the groups in which their photos were taken. She found her photo and opened it in the editor. Then she paused. 

Then she brought Fenton’s photo into the editor as well. If anyone noticed, they didn’t say anything. 

She did nothing for a moment and then began playing with the contrasts as she wasn’t well versed in the program yet. She brought the focus in and out, fiddling with the tools, just getting a feel for the software. 

Then she turned the saturation down. And she saw Danny’s blue eyes go gray. Star let out a little, “Huh.” She flagged down the teacher and quickly switched over to her own picture as he approached. 

“If I wanted to change a color, like, my hair color or the color of my shirt, how would I do that?” 

“Excellent question, Star!” He praised her ambition and gave her a quick step by step tutorial on how to change the hue of a highlighted section, nodded with a smile, and went off to help another student. 

Star switched back to Fenton’s picture and brought the saturation back to normal and highlighted the section with his eyes. She brought the mouse over to the slider that controlled hue and changed it from the blue he had naturally to the toxic green she had seen the other night. 

“Well, well, well,” she heard a voice say behind her. She looked over her shoulder and, in the row behind her sat the Weston kid. “Looks like you’ve seen a ghost!” 

“Ugh,” Star scoffed. Everyone had heard his crazy ramblings about Fenton being a ghost or a genetic experimentation or a “creature beyond our comprehension!” and dismissed him. But then she froze. 

Ghosts could probably get up from a car accident and walk away unharmed. 

She turned back to him and hesitated. 

He looked back with a shit-eating grin. _Vindication_. 

“What do you know about him?”

“Not everything,” he admitted, nonchalant. “But enough to know that you’re giving him green eyes for a reason.” His teeth suddenly looked predatory. His lips were pulled back into a satisfied and intense smile. He was definitely interested in her revelation alright. 

“Alright,” Star said slowly, “let’s say for the sake of argument that I _did_ see something-”

“You _did_ , but go on.”

“What can you tell me about it?” 

He paused, smile dropping. He furrowed his brows and sighed. “Do you know why I originally planned to take this class?” He asked. 

“...No?” Star replied.

“I thought I’d be able to get better photos of Fenton, when I was still trying to expose him. Now it just helps for my degree when I go to college.” At her look, he clarified, “Investigative Journalism.”

Star laughed a bit shallowly. “You realize that’s kind of stalkerish?”

Surprisingly, he laughed, too. “Yeah, kind of.” 

Wes had first gotten, for lack of a better term, _obsessed_ with Danny sophomore year. Over the last two grades, however, he’s kind of grown more mellow and casual with his accusations. Danny himself finds it _hilarious_ whenever that happens. 

Star’s face broke into a shocked gasp. Wes _knew_. It hasn’t fully settle into her brain, but Wes _knows_ about Danny. 

“Spill. _Now._ ” Star spun her chair all the way around and leaned forward, hands clasping together and elbows resting on her knees. 

Sensing her spike in interest, he indulged her and (in a tone that highly suggested he had this speech _practiced_ ) began to speak. His eyes were fixed on a point at his keyboard, but they weren’t looking at the computer equipment. They were unfocused, remembering.

“I saw him, you know? Transform. It was twoish years ago? I think? End of October, sophomore year. I was walking out of the school to my mom’s car, I’d gotten sick at school, and so I was outside of the building during class.” 

He met Star’s eyes. 

“As I was walking towards the parking lot, Phantom crashed into a tree. He didn’t see me. I watched him fight off that one ghost, the one dressed as a black knight? And he won. He sucked the ghost into that soup can and…” he trailed off. 

Star was speechless. Wordlessly she gestured for him to continue and he perked up. 

“He turned into Fenton. I can’t explain it, but he slumped up against that tree and there was a flash of light. I couldn’t-” he stammered. He was probably going off script now, saying, “I didn’t actually _see_ him change. Not yet. It was,” he grasped at the air, looking for the words. “It was bright. And cold. And I had to shut my eyes and when I looked back up, Fenton was there. Staring at me. And he ran.” 

He dropped his eyes back towards his hands. “I was, well, scared. Shaken. I ran to my mom’s car. And the rest is history. I knew about Fenton. Fenton knew I knew. And everyone thought I was crazy,” he spat bitterly. “So I kinda gave up?” He laughed, “I mean, nothing came of it, so I just started to tease him whenever he came back from or left to go fight a ghost.” 

Star was… shocked was not a strong enough word. The story was too insane, too fantastic, too… unreal. But it made sense. In some crazy, twisted, unbelievable way, Star _believed_ him. She thought back to those green eyes. _Phantom’s_ eyes. She thought about Fenton ditching class or running and hiding whenever a ghost showed up. Her world had just been taken out from under her and suddenly Star felt _sick._

“He’s not a bad guy, though.” 

_Fuck_. She forgot about Wes, about the class, about where she _was_. “What?”

“Fenton. He’s pretty alright, even if he was a little jerk when he realized nobody believed me.” 

Star swallowed. “I believe you. I didn’t before, because,” she gestured to the classroom around her. “It’s- It’s impossible!” 

“Yeah, you’d think so.” 

“But I guess, now I do. Believe you, that is.”

“What changed your mind?” 

Star looked left, then right. Then she took a deep breath and began to tell him. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I based a lot of this chapter on my own high school senior year, but half of my senior year was spent in quarantine. Go easy on me if things seem a little unrealistic. 
> 
> Also, please give me enough suspension of disbelief for me to get by with this admittedly contrived plot. 
> 
> I was actually a PE Leader, what Star and Valerie are in this chapter. It was a super chill gig. As always please leave reviews, that makes me feel like a person again.

Star managed to take her mind off of it for the next few periods. Talking to Wes really helped her understand and come to terms with what she saw, and that quelled her anxiety somewhat. 

She drifted through the following math class and lunch without much issue. Dash and Kwan continued their interrogation, but Star waved them off fairly easily.

The real test, however, was the next period. Physical Education. Gym. 

Star wasn’t actually in a typical gym class. Rather, she and Valerie were P.E. Aids. They helped Tetslaff with things like attendance and equipment. Usually, this meant they never had to participate in actual physical activity. They just made sure the rest of the kids were properly dressed in their uniforms and then they could talk for the next 55 minutes. It was normally a sweet gig. 

Normally, being the key word. 

“Alright _maggots_ ,” Tetslaff sneered, “this next unit is mandatory for seniors. For the next four weeks, we’ll be making up all the credits any of you missed out on for one reason or another. Normally these would be spread out over a semester -- or even a year -- but this is what we have to work with. If you don’t pass, you don’t graduate!” 

The kids shifted uncomfortably. Valerie laughed. 

“I bet they regret flunking the dance unit,” she whispered. Star smiled and laughed with her.

Tetslaff went down the line. 

“Aarons! Flunked swimming. See you in the pool tomorrow.” 

The teen grimaced, but nodded. Star wasn’t jealous. The pool, while spacious, wasn’t the most well maintained. Star even heard that the boy’s locker room was completely open space, so there was no privacy when changing into their swimwear. Tetslaff went to the next student. 

“Chavez,” She muttered, looking closer to her clipboard. “Transferred from Ripley High. Missed the dancing unit.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “What do I have to do?”

“Join Mrs. Ventrella’s junior class in the multipurpose room tomorrow during this period,” Tetslaff answered. Esteban muttered in agreement, seemingly not bothered by his burden.

She continued down the line, naming both the student as well as the reason they missed a certain class. A small amount of kids didn’t miss any, but those were few and far between. 

“Fenton, broken ankle during your sophomore year. You missed out on driver’s education. I’ll assign you a driving aid.” 

Danny nodded. “Yeah, I figured.” 

Tetslaff continued on. “Foley! Passed.” 

Tucker cheered dramatically and threw his arms out wide. “I’m spared! No homework for me,” He whooped jubilantly. “What do I gotta do?” 

“Report here tomorrow for open gym,” the coach grumbled. She crossed off something on her clipboard and walked further down the line. 

“Manson, Sexual Education. Refused participation?” Tetslaff’s nose scrunched up and one eyebrow was raised. 

“Casper was abstinence-only back in freshman year. I changed the curriculum,” Sam explained, a bit prideful. “I’ll be in Ms. Herrmann’s class tomorrow.” 

Tetslaff smirked and nodded. “Of course you did, Manson. Jin,” She said, stepping down the line. “Passed.” 

Kwan smiled, reaching over Sam’s head to high five Tucker. “Nice.” 

Tetslaff continued to dish out punishments for not having passed all the mandatory units over the course of four years. After she was done, she turned to address the whole class. 

“Alright, today’s open gym for everyone. I have to organize you _ninnies_ into the right classes, so don’t get yourselves killed, got it?” 

There was a chorus of halfhearted confirmations, then the students dispersed throughout the gym. Tetslaff walked over to Valerie and Star. 

“What’s up, coach?” Valerie greeted. The teacher grunted and instructed the two aids to follow her. They walked into a small room off the corner of the gymnasium and entered Tetslaff’s office. 

It was a modest room. Smaller than a typical classroom with walls made of white-painted cinder blocks. There were three metal filing cabinets placed along one wall, drawers overflowing with manila folders and student information. Along the back wall were shelves filled with trophies from years and decades prior. 

Tetslaff walked behind a thin metal desk and plopped down in the computer chair, shaking the mouse to wake up the computer monitor. She punched in some information and then turned to face the two aids. Wordlessly, Star and Valerie sat down in the two chairs opposite Tetslaff’s desk.

“I have two jobs. One’s boring as all get-out, but pretty easy. The other one’s more interesting, but stressful. You’ll have to leave school. _So_ ,” she clapped her hands together and let the silence hang for a moment. “Who wants what?”

Valerie and Star shifted in their seats uncomfortably. Star shot a glance towards the other teenager and shrugged her shoulders. Returning her gaze to the teacher, she asked, “Can you tell us more?” 

The coach sighed. “The easy job is attendance. You’ll just walk around the school to all the different locations our students will be and make sure they’re properly dressed and, like, here, and all that crap. The other one is a bit more tricky. It’s Fenton.” 

Star prickled at that, and she noticed Valerie go a bit stiff as well. 

“What- uh, what about him?” Valerie asked. 

“Both of you girls got A’s in Driver’s Ed. Both of you got waivers so you never had to take the written or road tests.” Tetslaff sighed again, apparently pained at the thought of asking for help. “We don’t have a spare teacher to take Fenton on the road for the next four weeks, so I’ve gotten express permission to have a teacher’s assistant do it for me. Both of you girls are legally adults, so it’s not an issue. It’s just a matter of who wants to walk around the school for fifty minutes and who wants to leave the school for fifty minutes. Up to you.”

There was a pause. Star looked out the window into the gym at where Fenton, Foley, and Manson were sitting on the bleachers animatedly bickering about something or other. After a brief moment, Tucker leaned forward and flicked Danny’s forehead with his middle finger. His hand smoothly transitioned so it was upright, fingers still locked into the same position. Tucker _accidentally_ flipped him the bird, a smug grin plastered on his face. Though Star couldn’t hear it through the office window, she saw Sam chuckle at Danny’s offended gasp. 

“I can do it,” Star heard herself volunteer. She turned to Tetslaff, who was eyeing her with mild surprise. 

“Star?” Valerie questioned. 

“I mean,” she amended, “you and Danny have, like, a history or whatever.” She jutted her thumb behind her and pointed at the boy in question. “This can’t be too bad,” Star lied. She put on a tight smile to be _extra_ convincing and everything. 

Valerie pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded. 

“Well it’s settled. Stay in here, Anderson. Gray, you can go.” 

“But I-” Valerie protested. “Uh,” 

“Is there a problem?” 

Valerie opened and closed her mouth several times. Ultimately, she clamped her jaw shut and shook her head. “ _No_ ,” she ground out. Valerie stood up from her chair and stomped out of the office, her hands balled up into fists. 

Tetslaff grunted. “What’s up with her?” 

Star shrugged. Tetslaff shook her head and strode over to the door. She stood in the door frame and cleared her throat. “Fenton! Get your scrawny behind in here!” 

He looked up from the conversation he was having with his best friends and hollered back, “It’s not that scrawny anymore, coach!” 

Tucker began cracking up and Sam shoved Danny off the bleachers. They were sitting a few rows up, so Danny fell to the floor, emitting a pathetic yelp on his way down. 

Danny recovered quickly, stepping towards the office and entering without a moment of hesitation. He smiled at Star as he brushed past her to sit in the now unoccupied chair. “What’d you need?” 

Tetslaff sat back down and flipped the computer screen to Star and Danny. “Fenton, your performance in the past year has been impressive,” she said. “For you, at least.”

“First off, _ouch_ ,” Danny said lightheartedly. "I think I've been decent since my ankle healed up." 

“Yeah," Testlaff relented. "You have, but you also missed Driver’s Ed your sophomore year and never made it up. You need to pass the course to pass this class. Now we can’t change your schedule and put you in the third period sophomore class, and we can’t assign a teacher a one student class. Star has agreed to take you driving,” Tetslaff said, gesturing to the girl in question. 

Danny raised his eyebrows, but didn’t react otherwise. He turned to face Star. “She did?” 

“Yes, _she_ did,” Star said, suddenly feeling defensive. “It was me or Valerie, and you guys have some bad blood or something. She gets all twitchy whenever you come up.” 

Danny frowned but didn’t seem too surprised by the information. “I thought we were cool.” 

Tetslaff brought Star and Danny back to reality. "Is this arrangement going to work out?" she asked skeptically. 

"Uh, I think we're gonna be fine?" Danny hesitantly answered. Star nodded in agreement, not trusting herself to say something else without it coming out snippish. 

"Great! On Monday, during this period, just take one of the Driver's Ed cars. Star, I've already gotten a copy of the routes you'll take Fenton on. Just don't wreck the car, got it? You might want to work something out over the weekend to get a feel for the dynamic. Sound good?" 

"Yes, Coach. Everything's gonna be fine," Star promised. 

Star's developed a bit of a habit for lying lately, hasn't she? 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was trying to write a certain chapter, but this one came up in my head, so expect some resolution in the next chapter. 
> 
> Have fun with this one, I kinda like how it turned out.

“Star!” 

Star heard her friend calling to her from down the mostly-empty hallway. It was after school, Star was ready to head home. She was actually getting ready to do just that when Valerie charged up to her. 

This was fine, she had anticipated this and mentally prepped for some lie or excuse to cover up her motives. What she  _ hadn’t  _ expected, however, was a second person to confront her. 

“Star!” The second person was a tall, freckled, red-haired student. Wes strode over to her in three long strides, his camera swaying violently with the sudden change in velocity. 

They approached her from different ends of the hallway, meeting in the middle. Meeting directly in front of Star’s locker. 

This was  _ not _ good. Wes knew Star knew about Danny, so he’s obviously coming to talk about ghost stuff. Valerie, meanwhile, has a history with Danny and seemed upset that Star would be going driving with Danny. 

When she laid eyes on Wes, Valerie smiled overly-sweetly and her voice raised a few octaves. “I’m sorry, Wes, I  _ really _ needed to talk to Star. If you can come back another time, I’m sure Star will be available.”

“Love the customer service voice, but I  _ also _ need to talk to Star.” He rested his hand on Star’s shoulder, staking his claim. Valerie’s eyes sharpened, her smile growing closer to a predator baring her teeth than a friendly grin. 

“Why don’t we let Star decide? I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to accommodate you later.” 

“Yes, let’s,” Wes smugly grinned back at her. Both turned towards Star. 

“Uh,” Star intelligently said. “I have to go to the bathroom.” She ducked under Wes’ arm and sped down the hallway, her legs burning with the urge to break into a sprint. 

“I’ll join you!” Valerie started jogging to catch up with Star. 

“No, that’s okay,” Star squawked. “I, uh, had a rough lunch. Probably don’t wanna be in there with me.” Star put some distance between the two vultures and herself. She sharply rounded the corner, ducking into a random classroom, locking the door behind herself. 

She squeezed her eyes shut, based on her childhood mentality of “if I can’t see  _ them _ …” during hide and seek. She held her breath, ears straining for the sound of passing footsteps. She heard Wes and Star come sprinting down the hallway, exchanging words in a decidedly unfriendly manner. 

After they had passed, Star let out a shallow gasp. She was finally alone. 

“Are you okay, Star?” 

“Jesus _FUCK-”_ Star’s eyes shot open, and who else would it be but Danny Fucking Fenton. “What are you _doing_ in here?” 

“Uh, avoiding my parents? I don’t wanna go home yet.” Despite the casual excuse, Danny sat frighteningly still in his seat. Star was in the back of the classroom, where the door was. Danny sat in one of the desks facing the whiteboard, which was on the opposite wall. 

Meaning Danny was addressing her, but facing the wrong direction. 

Something about this entire situation put Star off, from the forced dismissiveness of Danny’s tone, to the way he refused to move his body. 

“But, what were you running from? I think you’re in the clear, haha.” Danny finally,  _ finally _ looked at Star, craning his neck to see behind him. 

Star swallowed, “It’s nothing. Are you, like, sure you’re okay?” 

Despite her body telling her to  _ run, something’s super wrong here just get out, GO, LEAVE,  _ Star found herself closing the gap between the two students and meeting Danny’s eyes once more. 

She met his eyes, at first, that is. When she walked to face Danny, she caught a glimpse of his right leg. It was hidden from her at first by the rest of his body and the desk, but now she saw his signature blue jeans torn to shreds at the knee and, glaring from underneath the tattered denim, his skin was inflamed and puffy, his leg stained a harsh purplish-red color. 

“Danny, what the  _ fuck?” _

Before he could answer, the door swung open and Tucker came in. In his hands, he was carrying a transparent plastic case emblazoned with a gigantic red cross on every side. Balanced on top of the first-aid kit sat an enormous bag of ice sweating condensation like it had just ran a marathon. 

“Sorry for the wait, but Sam said you needed more than the usual stuff.” He glanced up from his cargo and noticed Star standing in front of his best friend. Without missing a beat, he smiled and charmingly greeted Star. “Hey, how’s it going?” 

Star couldn’t put together a sentence out of sheer confusion. He walked up to her and paused. 

“Uh, Star, can I scooch past you there?” Tucker jutted his chin out at the small space in front of Danny that he needed access to. 

“O-oh, yeah, sure.” Star stepped away, allowing Tucker to get close to the injury. He pulled out a pair of scissors that came with the kit and clinically snipped away Danny’s jeans. 

“Jeez, man, at least get me dinner first,” Danny chuckled. Tucker sucked in between his teeth. 

“Please, you’d be lucky if I wanted to get your pants off.” 

They exchanged banter so naturally and so fluidly that Star had to wonder how long they’d been meeting like this. 

She watched Tucker take a rag that he had soaked with his water bottle and begin to wipe Danny’s leg. There was something inherently intimate with this, so Star ducked her eyes and begin to take stock of the classroom they were in. 

It was one of the sophomore chemistry classrooms. She herself had never been in Mr. Falluca’s class, but she had been in here over her school career. The walls were lined with posters of all sorts. There were the kinds you’d expect (periodic tables, parts of the atom, the works), but also some more unique decorations. 

The one Star’s eyes landed on was an Old-West style newspaper clipping, obviously made in those photo booths at the mall. Bold text at the top said “MENACE TO ALL GLASSWARE: DANNY FENTON. WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE.” 

Star laughed, it was an older photo of Danny, back when he was still a frail little kid. His teeth were flashed in a great big smile that reached his eyes, his arms thrown around sophomore-year Tucker and Sam. Sam clearly took the photo, as her arm was outstretched reaching out of frame. Tucker was hugging Danny’s midsection and had a grin to rival the menace in question. 

They seemed happy. 

“I got him that sign and he loved it so much he gave me extra credit.” Star turned to see Danny. “That actually saved my butt back in the day,” he laughed. 

“Did you ever outgrow the butterfingers?” Star jabbed. 

“He tried to catch me the other day and we both ate shit,” Tucker muttered. “So I’d say no.”

There was a final snip and Star noticed Danny’s leg was wrapped in gauze, very professionally. 

“Aha! I’m a goddamn artist. Look at this craftsmanship, Daniel-San, it’s beautiful!” Tucker began packing up the various components of his masterpiece and thrusted the bag of ice into Danny’s hands. “Ice it. Don’t use too much, uh, energy, okay? The…  _ bush _ you got stuck in gave you a massive allergic rection. Sam’s back at the,” he paused, “bush…  _ area _ and is cleaning up the last of the plant.” 

Star wasn’t an idiot, so Tucker’s lies seemed so obvious to her, but then she realized they’d been getting away with this for  _ years _ on those awful excuses. Maybe Star  _ was _ an idiot? 

“Now, Star,” Tucker said, turning to face her. “Are you okay? You’ve been here for the last ten minutes and seemed uncomfortable for like eight of them.” 

In this moment, Star could see the underlying question:  _ why are you here? _

“I was, uh, trying to hide from Val.” She half-lied. She could have left immediately after the terror twins passed her hiding spot, but stayed because her curiosity got the better of her. 

“Uh-huh.” The geek sounded unconvinced, but let it slide. “Well, we’re all good here, then, aren’t we?” 

Something about Tucker’s voice seemed both threatening and soothing, an odd combination. It almost reminded her of how he tried to be smooth freshman year, but now it actually worked. There was something charming in his almost aloof tone. 

“Yeah,” Star agreed. “I guess we are.” 

Tucker helped Danny up and they slung arms over each other so Danny didn’t have to put pressure on his bad leg. They began walking towards the door. Star watched them, expecting to see Danny hop or hobble alongside Tucker, but he didn’t. He glided along the floor gracefully, almost like he was walking on two legs. At one point as they passed her, Star  _ swore _ she saw both legs off the ground at once, for just a second. 

Tucker and Danny reached the door and as Tucker opened it, his friend leaned against the wall. 

Danny looked back at Star from his position near the door frame and smiled. “See you on Monday!” 

Star returned his beaming grin with a half-hearted one. “Yeah,” she rasped. “See ya.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mild implications of child abuse, but nothing major. Also mentions of food allergies. 
> 
> This was sort of the interaction I wanted these three to have in the last chapter, but AGAIN. Not what I'd intended to write. I start with ideas and end up letting them get away from me. Hopefully this all flows well though, and I hope you like it. Thanks for all the love and leave me a comment if you have any ideas for later on in the story ;)

Today has been a day, Star decided. 

In the early twilight hours, she had committed vehicular manslaughter. During this morning’s class, her victim acted like nothing was wrong. She later found out her victim was actually a ghost the whole time, and then she became her victim’s driving instructor. Finally, she just left that victim in a classroom half bleeding to death.

Yes, it seems that today has been a _day_.

So it seems that the weekend away from Casper High’s resident superhero ghost would help her out, right? 

Wrong.

Well, that _would_ have helped if that’s what had happened. Unfortunately, it _isn’t_ what happened. As she stepped outside of the school doors and onto the concrete stairs leading down into the rest of town, she was ambushed. _Again_. 

“There you are!” Valerie yelled from the other side of the campus green. She started jogging over towards Star with one hand raised. It almost looked like she was trying to hail a taxi, one hand gripping her backpack strap with determined strength as she closed the distance between herself and her friend. 

She was growing closer and closer and Star resisted the urge to run away, but she knew she could handle this if it were one person. 

“Not so fast, Val,” A voice teased from above. Both girls managed to look up and see the branches of the overhanging oak tree rustle and quiver furiously. In an instant, a figure that had been obscured by branches and leaves leapt out of the tree and landed only semi-clumsily. Wes Weston landed in between Valerie and her target, palm outstretched in a halting gesture. 

“...are you fucking _insane?”_ Valerie screeched. “Are you _mental?”_ Wes just stood there, a triumphant smirk on his face. 

“I don’t get why you’d look all around the school for her instead of camping out where she’d be eventually,” He said in lieu of an answer. 

“Uh, how did you know I’d be _here_? What if I’d left through the gym doors, or the south entrance?” Star demanded. Wes turned to face her and rolled his eyes as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

“Every Friday you and the other A-Listers meet up at the Nasty Burger for food and gossip. Dash typically drives you all from this street, but you missed the ride, so instead of getting your usual chicken sandwich and lemonade, you’re planning on going home. You’ve developed a habit of leaving through these doors on Fridays anyway, so odds were you’d end up here before 4:30.”

“Wes, seriously, _what the fuck,_ ” Valerie growled. “Are you fucking _stalking_ her?” She stepped towards the lanky teen menacingly. Wes’s face went from smug to scared really fucking fast. His halting gesture quickly became a pleading one as he backed away from the overprotective girl. 

“Val, no, I’m not, wait Val, I’m _not_ stalking Star,” He stammered. “At least, not exclusively. I-I keep tabs on everyone. It’s just a habit at this point, I know more things about Casper Students than most of their own _parents_.” 

“How did you know my order?” Star interjected, also stepping towards Wes. He pressed his back up against the trunk of the tree and sucked in a breath. “What, have you been looking through my _trash?”_

Wes shook his head. “Again, not _you_ per se, I don’t, like, I haven’t looked through your trash alone. I look through everyone’s trash.” 

_“You WHAT?”_

“Okay, yes, it would be super creepy if I did it to one person alone, but I do it to everyone, I swear, and-and because of that, I’ve kept a lot of really, _really_ bad things from happening.” Wes’s words were becoming more and more panicked, speeding up and shooting out as fast as he could think of them. 

Val suddenly stopped. Her eyebrows, which had been sharp and angled down in rage, tensed up and laid flat above her eyes, contemplatively. “Like what?” She challenged. 

“I- uh, I can’t say.” 

“ _Wes.”_

“I mean let’s just say, that, hypothetically, I found a certain _letter_ , to a...protection service. About a parent. Now, hypothetically, I started checking up on, uh, the affected person, and kept them from _danger_ , if you will. Or-or let’s talk about when I found a food product with a certain ingredient that I _know_ the consumer was allergic to, I was able to get them medical help.” He whimpered. 

Star and Valerie backed up. Star gasped, “What?”

“I _can’t_ say any more than that, honest. But believe me, I did all this for the greater good.”

Valerie pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to contain _many_ things she wanted to tell this scrawny, white kid. But then a thought occurred to her. She snorted. Then she giggled. Then she let out a full-on belly deep laugh. “Wes, why the fuck didn’t you just lie about stalking Star?” 

Wes looked like somebody had slapped him. Then he followed suit in the disbelieving laugh, chuckle, guffaw pattern Valerie had established seconds earlier. “Yeah, I guess that was an option, huh?” He slumped down the tree and combed his fingers through his hair. “I guess I just don’t like lying since I’m trying to uncover the truth, you know?”

Valerie sat down cross legged opposite him, “Yeah, I know.” 

Suddenly, Star felt very awkward. “Wait, are we- are we cool now? Is that what just happened?” 

Wes and Valerie exchanged a glance and conveyed something through their eyes. “Yes,” she hesitantly said. “I think so.” He nodded in agreement. They looked back at Star expectantly. 

“Sit?” Wes asked. Star stalled for a moment, weight shifting from foot to foot as she decided if she would join them. She hesitated for a few moments before something in her resigned and she sat down, completing the triangle. “Okay, so, Star, you know why I want to talk to you.” He started. 

“And why _I_ want to talk to you,” Valerie joined in. “So I say, we just lay all our cards on the table so we’re all working with the same knowledge. 

Wes’s jaw clenched and unclenched as he mulled over the proposal. “I’m down. I mean I’ve already told half the school, like, two years ago. But it’s Star’s choice.” 

Valerie looked at her friend. Star never could resist helping Valerie out, even after she had been excommunicated from the A-Listers group. Star, ever so slightly, nodded her head yes. 

Star swallowed. “Okay, yeah. Val,” She spoke thickly. Star averted her eyes and began to recount the events. “Last night, I ran over and killed Danny Fenton. And after he died, he glowed green and came back. Wes says it’s because Fenton is _Phantom_ , and I… I believe him.” 

Valerie’s eyes widened in shock, “You _know?”_ Star’s and Wes’s eyes shot up towards Valerie. 

“Wait a damn second, _you_ know?” Wes shrieked. Star glanced over at Wes and saw him…calculating something. She saw the arithmetic going through Wes’s head as he added this information to his mental archives. _“_ _Wait."_

Wes’s voice was deeper and demanding. 

“You know because _you’re the Red Huntress_.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've finally touched up my rough plan for this story and it looks like there's gonna be 18 chapters? Maybe more, maybe less, but that's what it looks like right now. Hopefully you guys don't mind. Also, sorry for the delay, last weekend I was INSANELY busy with family stuff. 
> 
> How are y'all enjoying so far? I hope you like what I'm writing. 
> 
> As usual, I'm posting this with no beta so sorry for any mistakes, I'll probably come in the next few days and fix any embarrassing mistakes like "agian" and stuff, but I just wanted to get this out as fast as I could.
> 
> Also!!! I don't want to make it a plot point that Danny is trans in this story, but he is. I mention it in this chapter, and it may be jarring to have the topic brought up and immediately dropped, but that's how I feel Wes would divulge that information. I don't want to be rude, so let me know if I need to tweak that bit a little, okay?

Star sat down in the booth. Despite the Nasty Burger’s name and the fact that there were dozens of people walking in and out every half hour, the seats and table were surprisingly well maintained. The plastic seat was a bit worn from use, but completely intact and untorn. The table was still a bit damp from when the last worker had wiped it clean. Star’s nose was filled with lemon scented cleaner as she squeezed between the seat and eating surface. Valerie sat opposite her, looking uncomfortable. 

Whether that was from Star and Wes discovering her _other_ job or from being seen eating by her coworkers, Star didn’t know. 

Wes was standing by the counter, having ordered for the three of them. Even though they never told him what to order, Star was sure he’d bring the correct entrees. He returned with two trays. One carried two paper bags, containing their late lunches. The other was a drink tray with four drinks. 

“Here we are,” he muttered under his breath. He deposited the lunch sacks on the table and placed down a lemonade in front of Star, along with a chicken sandwich and fries. He took out his own burger that spilled over with toppings and his chocolate milkshake. He then gave Valerie her two water bottles, a fruit salad, and a buffalo chicken sandwich. 

“Alright, _how_ did you know I get two waters?” Valerie smirked. Wes’ face remained stoic, but Star could see a blush flaring up the back of his neck and ears. He pointedly sat down next to Star, opposite Valerie. 

“Okay, so, can we,” Wes spun one hand around, gesturing towards Valerie. “Can we talk about this?”

Star took a sip from her drink. She, too, was curious. She didn’t know how to broach the subject, but luckily for her, Wes wasn’t afraid to press for answers. Valerie sighed and stabbed her fork into a slice of strawberry. 

“Look, it was a long time ago, okay? I was… hurt. I was angry at Phantom for something he didn’t do, so when someone gave me the tools to take him out, I didn’t hesitate. I found out that this guy-”

“Which guy? We agreed to share information,” Wes cut in. Valerie jumped a bit, clearly having been lost in her memory. She pouted, but continued on.

“Danny isn’t the only one that’s half ghost. You know The Wisconsin Ghost?”

“The vampire?” Star asked. Valerie laughed, nodding. 

“Yeah, him. He’s named Vlad Plasmius.” She stopped, letting the words sit in the air. 

“Okay, I’m named Wesley Weston. I think I got him beat on the stupid name category.” 

Valerie raised an eyebrow. “Phantom’s name is _Danny Phantom_. His human name is _Danny_ _Fenton._ How many Vlads do you know, Wes?”

Star froze in shock. Their mayor was a _ghost_.

The moment it was laid out for him, Wes slapped his forehead. He groaned and took a sorrowful bite out of his burger, ketchup spilling out of the sides. “I’m such an _idiot_ ,” he groaned. 

“No,” Valerie muttered. “He's good at hiding his intentions. I was working for him because I wanted Phantom gone and he gave me the resources to... get rid of him. But I stopped. I found out that not all ghosts are evil from Phantom’s cousin, Danielle.” 

“Danny has a cousin named Danielle?” Star asked mirthfully. Valerie didn’t share her amusement. 

“Not until a few years ago. Vlad,” Valerie hesitated. “Vlad _cloned_ him. Danny, that is. So Danielle is a half ghost too, Dani Phantom. Dani with an I.” 

“Why’s she a girl?” Star asked. “If she’s a clone…”

“Fenton’s trans, Star,” Wes supplied automatically. He snorted some of his milkshake down in shock. “ _Shit._ That wasn’t my thing to tell, sorry. I don’t think he’s in the closet, but still, _fuck_ I’m sorry.” 

Star stood surprised at Wes’ violent reaction. “I won’t tell anyone. It’s not my business,” she promised. Whether that promise was to Wes or to Danny, she couldn’t say. 

“Anyway,” Valerie drawled, unsubtly changing the subject back. “I found out not all ghosts are evil and decided to give Phantom a chance. He explained that it wasn’t his dog-” 

“Wasn’t his dog?” Star echoed. Valerie cringed. 

“Yeah. There was a ghost dog that Phantom was chasing that made my dad lose his job, so we had to downsize. The A-Listers kicked me out for that, so I thought that Phantom and his dog ruined my life.” 

“But it wasn’t his dog.” Wes pointed at Valerie with a particularly floppy french fry. “So you blamed him and hated him for no reason, which is why you’re so weird around Fenton now. You hunted him and, even though you’re cool with him now, you feel shitty about what you did in the last few years. Now the Red Huntress and Phantom have a truce, but you aren’t partners. Am I getting this right?” 

Valerie nodded, ripping a bite out of her buffalo chicken sandwich. “Yeah, Wes,” she said, irritated, “You do. Congratulations, you made me feel shitty about it all over again.” 

“Sorry,” Wes apologized again. “Trust me, I’ve made Fenton’s life hell too. Now we sorta work together.” 

Star swallowed some chicken and gaped at the freckled teen. “ _You_ , Wesley Weston, hunt ghosts?” 

“Oh, God, no. You wouldn’t catch me doing that in a million years. I just kinda, check in on people.”

“Stalk people,” Valerie corrected. 

“Check in on, stalk, whatever floats your boat. But if something’s wrong, I let him know and he does the rest. I’m the scouter, I guess.” 

“That’s,” Star paused. “That’s really nice of you, Wes.” 

“And that’s why you keep doing it despite it being really fucking creepy,” Valerie smiled. 

Wes flashed a grin at her. “You know it.” 

The two laughed and Star couldn’t help but join them. They continued to eat their lunch in peace, with the topics shifting from more business talk to casual and, Star would dare say, friendly conversation. 

“No, no, Dante works the fryer and I _swear_ , he keeps that shit clean and on lock. I think he shanked the last guy who touched his baby.” Valerie snorted as she dished out the hot gossip on the employees. 

“Well, he didn’t get convicted for it. He hasn’t been in prison for almost a decade, but he’s only worked here for five years, give or take,” Wes added in a monotone voice. It was almost like he was reading from a biography on the fry cook. 

“Dude, this is like a superpower. You’re like Amity’s Google. I love this,” Star giggled. 

Wes blushed a bit, before standing from the booth and giving a low bow, like a stage performer. “I do my best.” 

As they finished up their meal, the bell on the door jingled. Star looked towards the entrance and saw three teens enter. 

Manson, Foley, and Fenton. 

She blanched a bit alerting Valerie to the situation. There was a shift from Valerie, the teenager, and Valerie, the Red Huntress. Her posture stiffened, her eyes grew sharper and scanned the room. Nothing was drastic or would cause suspicion to an outside observer, but Star noticed. It was weird and it was _cool_. 

When Valerie saw it was only the trio, she relaxed a little. 

“He doesn’t look so good. Paler than usual,” Wes mumbled to the two girls. Star followed his line of sight and saw Fenton practically collapse into his seat. Wes was right, his skin was a bit more gray and he was breaking out in sweat. Again, nothing too alarming was happening, but given the past day’s events, Star knew this was serious. 

Sam had walked up to the counter and waited in line, Tucker had went to the bathrooms. Danny caught them all staring at him and gave them a weak wave. Valerie, Wes, and Star all returned it with equal hesitance. 

Valerie stood up from the table. “I gotta run, if Fenton looks like this, I doubt Phantom will be out tonight.” Star looked out of the restaurant’s windows. The sky was bathed in golden hues from the setting sun. She nodded towards her friend. 

“Be careful,” She whispered. Valerie smiled, promising she’d be okay. She began walking towards the exit, but stopped when she reached Fenton’s booth. She said something to him that Star couldn’t hear. 

“She’s saying… ‘Take the night off, I’ve got it.’” Wes squinted at Valerie. Star looked at Wes, then at Val, then back at Wes. 

“Of course you can read lips.” Wes shushed her and held up a finger, requesting silence. Danny pushed himself up from his slumped position and shook his head, saying something to the Huntress.

“Uh, I think he said he’s got this and something else, but he was looking down. Now she’s, uh,” Wes paused, as Valerie turned away from them and was staring directly at Fenton. “Well given her body language, I think she’s threatening him to stay in tonight, but I can’t be sure.” 

Before Star could urge him for more information, a male voice erupted from behind them, making Star yelp. 

“Hey guys, I never see you two together.” Wes turned to face the voice and threw an arm over Star, attempting to look intimidating. Star turned and saw Foley standing just behind their booth. “Chill, it’s just me. Everything good here?” Tucker asked. 

Star stalled for a moment before shoving Wes’ arm away from her, flustered from their reactions. “We’re all good here, Tucker, thanks,” she said a bit too sweetly. 

Tucker nodded and clapped a hand on Wes’ shoulder. “Good to hear it. See you around,” he said, leaving the two. 

After he returned to Danny, Star released a lungful of air. They both stood up from the booth and noticed Valerie was gone. Wes muttered something under his breath and turned towards Star. “I gotta fly. I think there's a new mystery on my hands. I’ll see you later, yeah?” He asked. 

Star nodded with a weak smile. “Yeah, let me know if you need anything.” 

“Oh, you’re gonna regret saying that,” Wes laughed. But somehow, despite everything, Star couldn’t find it within herself to agree. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been really busy. I've been doing college stuff and work has been keeping me constantly running around. 
> 
> At the very least, I feel I've made progress in this story, now that I know where I want it to go and all that. I've also figured out my word count goal. I've averaged 1,375 words per chapter, so I'm going to try to hit 1.4k words each time. That way, there's more content if I miss a week or two. 
> 
> Something kind of unintended happens this chapter, haha. Nothing major, but a lot of people are going to read it and go "ooh?" and like, I didn't plan it, but I love that it happened. 
> 
> Hope y'all are having a great day and thanks for sticking with this story.

_ Bzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzz- _

“...hello?” Star croaked. Glancing at the caller ID, Star realized she didn’t have this number saved as a contact. 

She blinked blearily. Shoving the heel of her palm into her eyes to rub them, Star sat up. She looked across her bedroom to check the time on her digital alarm clock. The red numbers glared back at her, indicating that it was 8:12. Who on earth would be calling at 8:12 on a  _ Saturday? _

“Star.” The voice on the other end belonged to a teenage boy. “You said to let you know if I needed help, right?”

Star adjusted herself to sit up in bed, leaning against her headboard. “Wes? How did you get my number?” She asked. “Never mind, dumb question. But it’s  _ eight _ in the  _ morning. _ What could you  _ possibly _ need?”

“It’s Fenton,” Wes said. His voice stalled, before picking back up. “I think he’s sick or something. I haven’t seen Phantom since yesterday morning. Val had to take care of all the attacks since then, and I checked on Fenton earlier today. He looks like crap.”

“... _ earlier  _ today? When?” 

“I don’t know, a few hours ago? Around five?” 

“Wesley Weston, did you even fucking  _ sleep?” _

His voice didn’t pick up the response. “Anyway, I think we should check up on him.” 

Star pinched the bridge of her nose. “Wes, you need to sleep. Have you eaten anything since the Nasty Burger?” 

He made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. 

Star felt like screaming. Instead of doing that, though, she let out an aggravated puff of breath through her nose. “Okay. Okay. I’ll check on him later today. Right now, I’m going back to sleep and  _ you _ are going to eat something light and then go to bed. Do you understand me?” 

“Star, I don't have time. I have a lead in the Johannsson case I should check out and we stil-”

_ “Wes so help me god if you don’t do what I said I’ll let everyone know you stalk them.” _

“...so how light are we talking?” 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Star woke up hours later. According to her clock, it was 11:46, a  _ normal _ time for a teenager to wake up on a Saturday morning. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Star got up from bed and shivered. Leaving her warm blankets was always a challenge for her, no matter the time of day. 

Star tossed on a hoodie and walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. As she rinsed off, her thoughts drifted to Fenton. Wes said he was sick. 

In the past three and a half years of high school, she’d never known Danny to be sick. He’d cut class almost constantly, but usually for “bathroom breaks” or some other excuse. Looking back, Star felt stupid for not realizing it just so happened that his bathroom breaks coincided with every ghost attack she’s seen in school.

So hearing Danny was sick immediately set off red flags for Star. And she did tell Wes he could count on her if he needed something. So a half hour later, Star found herself driving to the Fenton residence. She didn’t know Danny’s address, but she was able to pull up to the building by driving towards the giant metal spider on top of it. 

She parked across the street and walked up towards the front door. For a brief moment, Star was uncomfortable. She’d heard tales of the Fentons, but she shoved those to the back of her mind so she could focus. She knocked on the door three times. 

There was some indiscernible yelling, crashing, and the sound of metal on metal. After a brief moment, Star was able to hear a familiar voice screaming, “I got it, it’s fine!” 

The door clicked as the locks were undone and creaked as it swung open. Standing before Star was Jazz Fenton. Her hair was tied up in a low bun and her glasses were perched low on her nose as she scanned the person on her doorstep. 

A smile broke out on her face as she greeted, “Star! Hi! Can I help you with something?” There was a moment where Star was surprised that Jazz remembered her. After all, she and Danny never hung out and Jazz was a few grades ahead of them. The only reason Star knew Jazz was because she was both a Fenton and the smartest person in the school. 

“Uh, yeah, I wanted to see if Danny was available?” 

Jazz raised an eyebrow, but not in an unfriendly way. She stepped aside, ushering Star in. Jazz led Star into the kitchen, where all her school supplies were set up. She had a laptop open, along with several textbooks and notebooks all opened to various pages. 

“I thought you were planning on going away to college?” Star asked. Jazz visibly perked up before urging Star towards the laptop.

“That was my plan originally, but I figured something pretty cool out.” Jazz had two windows open side by side, one displaying a webpage from Amity’s local community college and one from  _ fucking Yale. _ “If I enrolled in online courses, I could join two different schools at once! I took one semester at one school and what would have been my second semester simultaneously at the other, so I basically did it in half the time!” 

Jazz stood up and clapped her hands together. She reached down into her backpack and pulled out a small clipboard. “Now there’s a lot of classes I skipped since I tested out of them, so I skipped anything that would be a prerequisite for the classes I  _ did _ have to take. Star, I’m in my ‘final’ year of college already!” 

“Jazz, that’s amazing!” Star broke out into a great smile. Despite the two never having really interacted in high school much, Star was still proud of - and excited for - Jazz. Especially seeing how excited Jazz was for herself. “I can’t imagine how hard you’d have to work.” 

Jazz waved her hand dismissively, smile never leaving her face. “People are capable of great things if they set their mind to it. I’m sure you could do the same,  _ or better, _ if you wanted to.” 

Star felt her smile go from excitedly wide to shyly small. Something about the way Jazz said it resonated well with Star, and she felt touched by the redhead’s kind words. “Thanks, Jazz.” 

“Anytime,” she winked. “But you didn’t come for me to blabber about college. I can check if Danny’s up to visitors, but he’s kind of sick right now. Is there something I can help you with?”

Star let out a shallow breath. She had prepared an excuse ahead of time, but staring into Jazz’s vibrantly teal eyes, Star felt smaller than she ever had before. “Uh, the- I’m supposed to take Danny driving. For, um, school.” 

_ That  _ was eloquent. 

Star cleared her throat and looked at her shoes to focus on something  _ other _ than Jazz. “He, uh, he missed the driving unit. I’m the P.E. aid, and we’re supposed to go driving together. And, yeah, I just wanted to check if he could today.” 

She looked back up to Jazz, who had a good four inches on her. Star felt herself blushing as the analytical eyes of the Fenton bored into her soul. Jazz’s smile stayed, her lips curled upwards in nothing but a friendly expression. “I’ll go ask him, hun, make yourself comfortable!” She said, leaving Star in the kitchen. 

As Jazz stepped out, Star found herself able to breathe once more. What  _ was _ that? She’s lied with a better poker face to teachers and her friends before, why was she so nervous now? Star was buzzing with energy, suddenly colder now that her blush was fading. 

Star took a few minutes to compose herself, then she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Jazz returned with Danny in tow. He was still pale, but he looked stable, at the very least. He gave Star a weak smile.

“Hey, I’m down to drive if you are.” He jutted a thumb behind him, towards the door. Star nodded. 

Jazz perked up, “You can use my car.” She gave her keys to Danny and patted him on the back. 

“Oh, I was thinking we would use my car,” Star tried to decline. Jazz smiled and shook her head. 

“If something happened,” she turned to Danny, “and I’m not saying it  _ would _ , but  _ if _ you got into a car accident, I’d rather not have Star pay for it.” 

Danny nodded, “Yeah, Star, really, it’s fine.” Star swallowed her pride and accepted. After all, he  _ was _ Jack Fenton’s son. 

“Alright,” Star said, steadying her nerves, “let’s do this.”


End file.
